1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to room air cleaners and filtering apparatus for filtering air in a room, and, more particularly, to room air filtering apparatuses with removable filter panels.
2. Description of Related Art
Room air cleaners and room air filtering apparatus are widely used in homes and offices. It is desirable to slowly pass unfiltered air through filtering material in order to maximize the filtering effect. However, it is also desirable that the air be filtered as quickly as possible in order to minimize the time needed to filter the air in a given room and minimize the size of the room air filtering apparatus. A solution to these conflicting goals is to provide a large surface area for the filtering material through which the unfiltered air travels.
In order to increase the surface area of the filtering material without unduly adding to the size of the filtering device, multi-sided filtering units and circular filtering units have been devised. In these units, the entire perimeter of the filtering device houses filtering material, thereby, maximizing the area of the filtering material in relation to the size of the filtering device.
One such filtering device is described in connection with U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,390 to Burnett et al. In this device, each of the four sides of the filtering device houses one or two frames holding the filtering media. The structure of the filtering device and the containers for the filtering media are somewhat complex to manufacture and require the users to change the filter material. Therefore, this device is relatively expensive to manufacture and operate.
Similarly, with present-day circular filters, the filtering media is housed in a cylindrical container, much like a carburetor air filter. These units also are expensive due to the complexity in constructing the unit to receive replaceable filters. Additionally, the cost of the filter media is relatively high, especially if odor adsorbents are included. The consumer is also given very little choice in filtering materials since the high cost of manufacturing requires high volume production levels of selected products.
Therefore, a need has arisen in the industry for an apparatus and method for filtering air using a multi-sided air filter with a reduced cost of construction and operation using washable filter materials. There is also a need for apparatuses to be easy to construct, use, and maintain. It is also highly desirable that the room filtering apparatus be aesthetically pleasing to the eye and not an eyesore and to have decorative features that are useful as well.
The room filtering apparatus should allow for maximum airflow through the filtering element, particularly, for electrostatic self-charging filter materials to permit proper operation and maximum filtering efficiency. The room filtering apparatus should be designed for easy and unobtrusive placement in the room.